Lounge room

The walls have started to come off in the lounge room.

The outer layer was masonite (brown board) and under that was wall sisalation.

 

 

Our helper is Michael, our daughter Bec's friend.

They are visiting - so got them to help!

 

Under the sisalation near the window to the right, was found  . . .

a sample of the original wallpaper,

attached directly to hessian backing!

Would date back to 1890-1910.

 

The electricians came in after the walls were off,

and put new wiring down for extra powerpoints.

Then Robert put insulation in between the studs.

 

 

The brown insulation to the right, is 100% wool.

Next step - plasterboard - when Doug comes on holidays !!

 

 

 

 

Finished floorboards

 

Cutting in around the edges with a paint brush.

 

 

"Running" the applicator over the boards for the first coat.

Leave 24hrs.

Apply a second coat.

 

 

After 7 days to harden - the finished product!!

Now to move all the furniture back . . .

till we have to rip the old walls off to replaster.

 

 

 

Sanding floors

 

We hired a floor sander from Bunnings, and levelled all the floors as best we could.

Then we had to use a orbital sander to go over all the bits it missed.

All the edges of the rooms had to be done, as well as the dips.

With an old house, it'll never be perfectly level.

 

 

 

Robert wore safety gear, but the house is still covered in a layer of dust!!

Next week we move on to applying the oil to the timber.

 

 

 

Garden produce

The vegetable garden has kept producing well.  We picked 10.35kg of butter beans (gotta watch the cholesterol in those!) and 6.9kg green beans. A good couple of days was spent blanching and freezing them, so that we have plenty for the next few months.

 

We also picked some pumpkins - probably a little early, but something (probably a rat) had already started on them. We don't mind sharing - but they'd already eaten 3 !!

 

 

Robert brought home a bucket of tomatoes, and so I had a go at dehydrating them in the oven. The theory was great - cut them in half, lay them on the oven racks, sprinkle with a little salt, and leave them in the oven at 100 deg C for 6-12hours (depending on their size). Because most of them were only golf ball sized, as they dried they dropped through the racks. By the end of the day I had one 500g jar full of dried tomatoes, (they taste great, by the way) which I covered with olive oil.

I'll use an electric dehydrator next year!

 

Floors

Now that the guests have departed,

we have decided to move on to finishing the new wooden floors.

This weekend Robert has spent his spare time,

counter-punching the nails down, and filling with putty.

Once that is all finished we will bring in the sander.

March # 2

My parents have left now, after having spent 2 months here.

They enjoyed their time, and Tasmania in general.

 

Never under-estimate the elderly.

They plodded along, a couple of hours a day, weeding and digging out rocks around the property.

 

This is one of the piles of rocks they created.

 

There is now plenty more rocks ready to create more dry stone walls.

 

The vegetable garden has been super productive.

It has quite easily provided button squash, zucchini, silverbeet, beetroot and cucumbers to feed the 4 of us. The freezer is full of soup, and grated zucchini for the winter.

We have just started picking beans, and a few late tomatoes, and the pumpkin vines are laden.  

 

 

The weather has been very kind to us.

It has been nice not to have to cope with the summer heat

we used to experience in Victoria.

Easter is almost here, and we sense a change in the seasons.

 

 

 

 

March 2013

The linen press is beginning to take shape!

This weekend Robert built & installed the 4 drawers

for spare blankets, quilts, pillows & cushions.